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Federation Fellowships
Selection Report (for funding commencing in 2008)

Objectives
Selection Process
Selection Criteria
Summary of Outcomes
Attracting and Retaining Outstanding Researchers
Approved Federation Fellows: Returning Australians
Approved Federation Fellows: Foreign Nationals
Approved Federation Fellows: Resident Australians
Administering Organisation
National Research Priorities
ARC Discipline Clusters
Stage in Career
Age and Gender
Start-up Project Funding
Total Scheme Budget

Objectives

The ARC Federation Fellowships scheme reflects the Australian Research Council's commitment to support excellence in research by attracting world-class researchers and world-class research leaders to key positions, and creating new rewards and incentives for the application of their talents in Australia.

The objectives of the scheme are to:

  1. attract and retain outstanding researchers of international renown;
  2. build and strengthen world-class research capability in Australia;
  3. expand Australia’s knowledge base by supporting ground-breaking, internationally competitive research;
  4. forge strong links among researchers, industry and the international research community; and
  5. support research that will result in economic, environmental, social or cultural benefits for Australia.

Selection Process

The closing date for proposals was 19 October 2007. Proposals were assessed by an ARC Selection Advisory Committee (SAC). The SAC was informed and advised by assessments provided by readers who had relevant expertise. Those readers were members of the ARC College of Experts, Australian Readers and International Readers. Federation Fellowship candidates nominated external referees who also provided reports. The SAC:

  • ranked each proposal relative to others on the basis of the proposal, referee reports and the assessor reports;
  • assessed each proposal and recommended budgets; and
  • prepared funding recommendations.

Selection Criteria

The selection criteria are:

  • Investigator (50%);
  • Project/Program of research activity (50%).

Summary of Outcomes

A total of 157 proposals were submitted to the ARC. Of these, 14 proposals are approved for funding. The Minister approved all of the proposals recommended by the ARC for funding. The following overview summarises the characteristics of the considered and the approved Federation Fellowship candidates.

Attracting and Retaining Outstanding Researchers

Proposals were open to Eligible Organisations to nominate candidates who are outstanding researchers of international renown, resident either within Australia or overseas. The Federation Fellowships Funding Rules for funding commencing in 2008 allow for a maximum number of five foreign nationals to be awarded a Federation Fellowship in this funding round.

Current holders of a Federation Fellowship were able to apply for asecond Fellowship during the fourth or fifth year of their current Fellowship. Twenty-two of the candidates in this round were applying for a second Fellowship, of which three are approved for funding. 

Those applying for a second Federation Fellowship had the option to request salary support of 50% of the notional Federation Fellowship salary from the ARC, on the basis of matching funds being provided by the Administering Organisation, if successful. Ten proposals were submitted requesting this 50% salary option, of which one is approved for funding.

Of the 157 proposals considered, 17 were for Australians intending to return to Australia – of these, one is approved for funding. Twenty-one proposals were for foreign nationals – of these, two are approved for funding. One hundred and nineteen proposals were for resident Australians – of these, 11 are approved for funding.

The following table shows the citizenship/residency status of Federation Fellowship candidates and approved Fellows.

Table 1: Citizenship/residency status - current and previous rounds                        

  Commencing in 2007-08 Commencing in 2008-09
Citizenship/ residency status % of considered proposals % of approved
proposals 		Number of considered proposals % of considered
proposals		 Number of approved
proposals		 % of approved proposals
Returning Australians
16
5
17
11
1
7
Foreign Nationals
14
10
21
13
2
14
Resident Australians
70
85
119
76
11
79
TOTAL
100
100
157
100
14
100

Approved Federation Fellows: Returning Australians

There is one Federation Fellowship candidate approved for funding in this category.

Table 2: Returning Australian approved for funding - Current Organisation and Administering Organisation

Fellowship candidate Current Organisation Administering Organisation
Professor M Bird University of St. Andrews James Cook University

Approved Federation Fellows: Foreign Nationals

There are two Federation Fellowship candidates approved for funding in this category.

Table 3: Foreign nationals approved for funding – Citizenship, Current Organisation and Administering Organisation

Fellowship candidate Country of citizenship Current Organisation Administering Organisation
Dr C Carilli USA National Radio Astronomy Observatory CSIRO - Australia Telescope National Facility
Professor Dr P Teunissen Netherlands Delft University of Technology Curtin University of Technology

Approved Federation Fellows: Resident Australians

There are 11 Federation Fellowship candidates approved for funding in this category.

Table 4: Resident Australians approved for funding - Current Organisation and Administering Organisation

Fellowship candidate Current Organisation Administering Organisation
Professor F Baum The Flinders University of South Australia The Flinders University of South Australia
Professor J Dryzek The Australian National University The Australian National University
Professor M Eastwood The University of Adelaide The Australian National University
Associate Professor T Lithgow The University of Melbourne Monash University
Professor G Lu The University of Queensland The University of Queensland
Professor T Monro The University of Adelaide The University of Adelaide
Professor B Neilan The University of New South Wales The University of New South Wales
Professor P Robinson The University of Sydney The University of Sydney
Professor M Simmons The University of New South Wales The University of New South Wales
Dr J Whisstock Monash University Monash University
Professor A Yu The University of New South Wales The University of New South Wales

Administering Organisation

The Administering Organisations of the fourteen proposals approved for funding are:

CSIRO - Australia Telescope National Facility (1)
Curtin University of Technology (1)
James Cook University (1)
Monash University (2)
The Australian National University (2)
The Flinders University of South Australia (1)
The University of Adelaide (1)
The University of New South Wales (3)
The University of Queensland (1)
The University of Sydney (1)

National Research Priorities

Of the 14 approved proposals, 13 fall under a National Research Priority, with total funding approved over five years as follows:

  • An Environmentally Sustainable Australia (3):  $5,414,968
  • Promoting and Maintaining Good Health   (1):  $1,638,730
  • Frontier Technologies for Building and Transforming Australian Industries (8):  $13,253,475
  • Safeguarding Australia (1):  $1,638,730

One proposal did not select a National Research Priority.

ARC Discipline Clusters

The following table summarises the distribution of proposals within disciplines.

Table 5: Disciplines of all proposals - current and previous rounds       

  Commencing in 2007-08 Commencing in 2008-09
ARC Discipline Grouping % of considered proposals % of approved
proposals		 Number of considered proposals % of considered proposals Number of approved
proposals		 % of approved proposals
BSB
24
20
39
25
4
29
EE
15
10
18
11
2
14
HCA
9
10
20
13
0
0
MIC
15
15
22
14
2
14
PCG
26
30
41
26
4
29
SBE
11
15
17
11
2
14
TOTAL
100
100
157
100
14
100

BSB = Biological Sciences and Biotechnology; EE = Engineering and Environmental Sciences; HCA = Humanities and Creative Arts; MIC = Mathematics, Information and Communication Sciences; PCG = Physics, Chemistry and Geoscience; SBE = Social, Behavioural and Economic Sciences

Stage in Career

Consistent with the scheme’s objectives, the ARC encourages proposals from early- to mid-career researchers who will play a leadership role in building Australia’s internationally-competitive research capacity. As shown in Table 6, 31% of all Federation Fellowship candidates in this round are within 15 years of the award of their PhD. Of the approved Fellows, 36% are within 15 years of the award of their PhD.

Table 6: Years since the award of PhD - current and previous rounds   

  Commencing in 2007-08 Commencing in 2008-09
Years since award of PhD % of considered proposals % of approved
proposals		 Number of considered proposals % of considered proposals Number of approved
proposals		 % of approved
proposals
0-15 years
33
25
48
31
5
36
16-20 years
27
25
43
27
5
36
21/+ years
39
50
61
39
4
29
No PhD
1
0
5
3
0
0
TOTAL
100
100
157
100
14
100

Age and Gender

As Table 7 shows, ten (71%) approved Federation Fellows are under the age of 50.

Table 7: Age distribution of candidates - current and previous rounds        

  Commencing in 2007-08 Commencing in 2008-09
Age cohort % of considered proposals % of approved
proposals		 Number of considered proposals % of considered proposals Number of approved
proposals		 % of approved
proposals
< 40 years
13
10
16
10
2
14
40-49 years
49
55
78
50
8
57
50-59 years
33
35
53
34
4
29
60 / + years
5
0
10
6
0
0
TOTAL
100
100
157
100
14
100

Of the 157 Federation Fellowship candidates considered and the 14 approved for funding, 19 (12%) and three (21%) are female, respectively.

Start-up Project Funding

There are circumstances in which a Federation Fellowship candidate is eligible to apply for Start-up Project Funding, to a maximum of $500,000 over two years, in addition to salary support. This support is to assist researchers who would be coming from overseas or would be working at an organisation that is not usually eligible to be funded by the ARC.

Of the 14 approved Fellows, three requested Start-up Project Funding. For those three, a total of $1,461,778 over two years is approved, in addition to salary support. 

Table 8 shows those Federation Fellows for whom Start-up Project Funding is approved.

Table 8: Approved start-up project funding

Fellowship candidate 2008-09 2009-10 Total
Professor M Bird $443,078 $55,700 $498,778
Dr C Carilli $297,000 $196,000 $493,000
Professor Dr P Teunissen $371,000 $99,000 $470,000
TOTAL $1,111,078 $350,700 $1,461,778

Total Scheme Budget

Subject to the provisions of the ARC Act, the following budgets have been approved for Federation Fellowships funding commencing in 2008.

Table 9: Total approved scheme budget by financial year

Budget item 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 TOTAL
Salary support $4,424,571 $4,424,571 $4,424,571 $4,424,571 $4,424,571 $22,122,855
Start-up project funding $1,111,078 $350,700       $1,461,778
TOTAL $5,535,649 $4,775,271 $4,424,571 $4,424,571 $4,424,571 $23,584,633

 

Content Last Modified:

23/4/08


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